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Monday, February 23, 2015

My menagerie has a new addition, Mr. Hippo. (Clever and original name, right?) He was designed by Juliet at The Tartankiwi, and will be released shortly.

Why did I need a hippo? If you remember Mr.Elephant, you might realize that he's been a little lonely pinned up to the wall, all by his lonesome, ever since October. I hope that if he has a friend, others might join him, and someday there may be a whole zoo of animals pieced together into a quilt.

I used the same batiks to bring some continuity to the two. Yes, I realize batiks aren't viewed as the most modern material, but they are pretty, and I got a little bit carried away at an inventory reduction sale so it's time to consume.

Linda Noordt, a local professional long-armer, took care of the quilting for me. She did swirling feathers using matching navy thread for the diamonds and a meander/stipple using white thread for the rest. I used solid navy for the backing and binding.

You may have noticed my coordinating project. You'll be pleased to know that the pillow top was created using only extra scraps from the quilt project.

If you want to make your own, simply mark a line 1/2" from the diagonal line on the charm squares. When you align the charm squares with the corner of the layer cake squares, make sure the shorter line is closer to the corner. Keep your pieces chained together, pull them out out of the machine, and put them back through. This time, sew on the shorter line. Press the larger triangle toward the corner, and while you're pressing, press the smaller triangle open into a half square triangle. Cut off the excess fabric by cutting down the middle of the two sewn lines. This will leave you with the blocks needed for the quilt and enough half square triangles for the pillow top.

Square up the half square triangles to 4" and arrange them as shown for piecing. The pillow top will be 21" finished.

For the quilting, I marked radiating straight lines for the navy part, which I quilted using my walking foot; the remaining space was stippled. I used Riley Blake's Easy Lapped Zipper Closure for Pillows Tutorial for the back. The back of the pillow will require an extra 3/4 yard of fabric.
I highly recommend this project if you are looking for a quick and easy project that highlights favorite fabrics nicely.

I'm back with a my continued recap of the AQS show in Albuquerque. Today, let's check out some more major award winners. Antonia Hering earned herself the Best Hand Quilted Award. She has certainly mastered hand quilting, as well as tiny appliqué circles.

Dreamtime by Antonia Hering

Dreamtime by Antonia Hering

Dreamtime by Antonia Herin

Majestic Mosaic by Karen Kay Buckley and Renae Haddadin took home the Best Longarm Machine Quilted Award.

Majestic Mosaic by Karen Kay Buckley and Renae Haddadin

Check out those near-microscopic metallic details in the free-motion quilting. It's a marvel how this was accomplished on a long arm.

Majestic Mosaic by Karen Kay Buckley and Renae Haddadin

Ann Horton, winner of the Best Original Design Award for The Bird's Perspective--Life at the Water's Edge, merged thread work and landscape in a wildly successful combination.

The Birds' Perspective--Life at the Water's Edge by Ann Horton

The Birds' Perspective--Life at the Water's Edge by Ann Horton

Lovers of machine embroidery, this one is for you. Lorilynn King took home the Best Wall Quilt Award for A Pocket Full of Paisleys.

A Pocket Full of Paisleys by Lorilynn King

A Pocket Full of Paisleys by Lorilynn King

The Best Use of Color Award went to Beth Nufer and Clem Buzick's Byrne's Spiral.

Byrne's Spiral by Beth Nufer and Clem Buzick

The contrast between grayscale and rainbow hues, and well as stand out machine quilting, really make this piece stunning.

Byrne's Spiral by Beth Nufer and Clem Buzick

The Best of Show was well-deserved by a striking masterpiece created by Gail Stepanek and Jan Hutchinson, Stars on Mars.

Stars on Mars by Gail Stepanek and Jan Hutchinson

The quilting is so intense that it is used to create shading within the piece.

Afton Warrick

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